Charges Dropped in Line 9 Shutdown

Serious charges had no chance of conviction, says prosecution

Today, Jan. 13, 2017, in a Sarnia ON courthouse, all criminal charges were dropped against Vanessa Gray, Stone Stewart, and Sarah Scanlon—the three individuals who allegedly shut down the Enbridge Line 9 tar sands and Bakken oil pipeline near Sarnia ON on Dec. 21, 2015.

The most serious charge the three individuals were facing was mischief endangering life, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. The prosecution, the Crown, indicated today in court that this most serious charge was dropped because there was no chance of conviction. The Crown also indicated that it had consulted with Enbridge on this course of action.

To finalize the dropping of the charges, the three defendants agreed to enter into a legally binding peace bond for 18 months. This means that the individuals agree not to act on Enbridge Pipeline Inc property and keep the peace for the duration of the bond.